NEW YORK.- Carlos Alcaraz is back to defend the title US Open after a long inactivity that, added to the drop in Jannik Sinneropens the range of candidates for the last grand slam of the year.
Spanish and Italian, owners of almost all the Grand Slams played since 2024, will close the year without facing each other in any major final, after in 2025 they did so in the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open.
Sinner, world number one, had to give up Flushing Meadows due to a knee injury, but the tennis world breathed with the just-in-time return of the charismatic Alcaraz.
The Spanish star has not competed since April due to a wrist injury that led him to be ousted from number two in the ATP for the german Alexander Zverev who will be the first seed in the US Open after triumphing in June at Roland Garros.
The Serbian giant Novak Djokovic He is the other great candidate to take the crown from Alcaraz, eager to make up for lost time in this US Open that starts on Sunday and concludes with the finals on September 13.
Tennis smiles
At the beginning of the year, Alcaraz fulfilled his great objective of conquering the Australian Open and becoming, at 22 years old, the youngest tennis player to hold all four Grand Slam trophies.
Of the seven major titles that he already has in his record, the first of them was won in 2022 in New Yorkalso becoming the youngest world number one.
Flushing Meadows, where last year he reigned again, defeating Sinner in the final, now appears as a favorable setting for his comeback after the wrist problem that kept him from Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
This week he already received a very special welcome from the public at the track. Arthur Ashe in the mixed doubles competition, where he formed a luxury couple with the iconic Serena Williams.
Alcaraz exhibited so many smiles on the court as a precaution when it came to certain hits such as the serve, without exceeding 185 km/h.
Therefore, his endurance in the grueling two weeks of competition that await him, under the stifling heat of the New York summer, remains to be tested.
Shelton, Fils and Djokovic on the road
The US Open draw was not kind to its champion this time either.
Alcaraz will start against the Russian Roman Safiullin a route on which the American lurks Ben Shelton or French Arthur Filschampions of recent Montreal Masters 1000 and Cincinnatiin a hypothetical quarterfinal, as well as Djokovic in the semifinals.
The Balkan, at 39 years old, may be facing one of his best opportunities to round out his unmatched showcase with a 25th Grand Slam title.
“Nole” remains very reliable on the big stage, with only one absence from the Grand Slam semi-finals since the beginning of 2025, but he is also lacking in performance, with only one lackluster performance since Wimbledon.
“I always think that as long as (Djokovic) is in the draw, there is a possibility,” he supported him this week Roger Federer.
“I think that is also one of the reasons why he continues to play, because he must truly believe that he can still achieve it,” said the Swiss maestro, honored in the previous week of an event that he won five times in a row between 2004 and 2008.
Looking to the future, fans will be left without enjoying the Brazilian this year Joao Fonsecais out due to physical problems, but they will attend the debut of the new jewel of the circuit, the Spanish Rafael Jodar, who will be the twelfth seed at 19 years old.
Title and number one at stake
In the female branch, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka He must not only defend the last two US Open titles but also his leadership in the world rankings.
Sabalenka aspires to a triplet of consecutive victories that no one has achieved since Serena Williams between 2012 and 2014, but his candidacy for the feat has lost strength with his poor performance in the second half of the year.
At the same time, the physical state of the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka’s main pursuer in the ranking of the WTAis also a mystery after his withdrawal last week in the WTA 1000 Cincinnati.
The biggest threats to Sabalenka may be the Pole Iga Swiatek and the American Coco Gauff, two former US Open champions who have resurfaced in August with resounding victories in toronto and Cincinnati.
